Combination container and dispenser



Nov. 30, 1943. a F SHELTON 2,335,363

COMBINATION CONTAINER AND DISPENSER Filed Sept. 25, 1941 2 She ets-Sheet1 ElifiizeZZOn Nov. 30, 1943. E. F. SHELTON COMBINATION CONTAINER ANDDISPENSER Filed Sept. 25, 1941 2. Shets-Sheet 2 EE6726Zi071 PatentedNov. 30, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINATION CONTAINER ANDDISPENSER Ernest F. Shelton, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor of one-halfto A. J. McDaniel, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application September 25, 1941, Serial'No. 412,335

2 Claims. (01. 221-98) a slidably mounted conduit or chute for acontainer which can be extended for permitting the contents of thecontainer to be dispensed therethrough, when the chute is inverted andwhich can be retracted for closin the passage of the conduit and forthereby sealing the container.

Still another aim of the invention is to provide a chamber formed in acorner of the container and into which the inner end of the conduitextends, and which is adapted to contain a quantity of the contents ofthe container, a portion of which will be dispensed when the containeris inverted.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a slidably mountedconduit in combination with said chamber, for holding a portion of thecontents of the container, and which has its inner end adjustablydisposed in said chamber for varying the amount of the contents that canbe positioned beneath the inner end of the conduit to be dispensedthrough said conduit, when inverted, to thereby provide means fordispensing predetermined quantities of the contents of the container,each time that it is inverted, and further to provide means whereby theamount of said predetermined quantities can be varied.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter becomemore fully apparent from the following description of thedrawings, whichillustrate a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a container, constructed inaccordance with the invention, resting on its rear wall and having thedispensing conduit disposed in an extended position,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantiallyalong the plane of the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the same plane asFigure 2, but showing the conduit in a fully retracted position and thecontainer inverted, relatively to its position in Figures 1 and 2,

Figures 4 and 5 are fragmentary horizontal sectional views throughportions of the container, taken substantially along planes indicated bythe lines 4-4 and 55, respectively, of Figure 2,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the inner side of the blank fromwhich the container is formed, and

Figure 7 is a similar view of the blank from which the conduit isformed.

Referring more particularly to the drawings,

wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding partsthroughout the different views, l0 designates generally a containerwhich is adapted to be filled with a fluent material, not shown, such asa powdered, granulated or flaky material and which includes a bottomwall ll, front wall [2, rear wall [3 and'an end wall M. The container I0is formed in a conventional manner from a blank, designated generallyI5, which is partially shown in Figure 6, and which is adapted to befolded along the dotted lines 16,

.in a conventional manner, and which includes the flaps I! which overlapcertain of the walls thereof and which are adhesively fastenedthereto,.in a conventionalmanner, for forming the box container ID. V I

A partition member, designated generally I8, as seen in Figure 6, issuitably secured along its edge portions! as by means of an adhesive,not

shown, to the inner sides of the end wall I4 and ,the bottom wall II.

The partition member I8 is out along the lines 20 and is foldable alongthe dotted line 2|. It will thus be seen that when the blank I5 isassembled to form the container or box ID that the partition member l8will be positioned therein as seen in Figures 2 to 5, and will includean angular portion, designated generally 22 which will combine withportions ofthe end-wall 14 and bottom wall H to form a guide, as willhereinafter become apparent, and a portion 23 including two angularportions which will combine with portions of the bottom wall I I, rearwall I3 and end wall I4 to form a chamber 24, of angular shape, andWhich opens toward the front wall H. The angular portion 22 extends froma part of the top of the chamber 24 to a corner of the front wall H andsaid corner is provided with an opening 25.

Referring to Figure 7, 26 designates generally a blank which is adaptedto be folded along the dotted lines 2'! and which is provided with aflap 28 at one end thereof which is adapted to be secured to theopposite end of the blank 26 and on the inner side thereof, as seen inFigure 4, in any suitable manner, as by means of an adhesive, not shown,to form an elongated conduit 29 from the blank 28. The conduit or chute29 extends through the opening 25 and slidably engages said opening andthe guide formed by the portion 22 of the partition member and portionsof the walls H and Id. The

length of the conduit 29 is substantially equal to the length of the endwall l4, as seen in Figure 3, so that when the conduit is in a fullyretracted position its open inner end 30 will be disposed in the chamber24 and closed by engagement with the rear wall l3, and its outer openend 3| will be disposed in the opening 25. The conduit or chute 29 isprovided at its outer end 3| with an integral outwardly extending tab 32which is adapted to be grasped for drawing the conduit 29 outwardly andto an extended position relatively to the container or box I0.

It will thus be readily apparent that the mema ber l8 can besubstantially collapsed flat against.

collapsed so that the container I0, including the member l8 and theconduit 29, is collapsible for shipment and storage purposes, beforeassembly. Furthermore, if desired, a collapsed conduit 29 can beinserted between the blank l5 and member l8 so that a complete unit maybe shipped or stored together.

The container or box II] when not in use is adapted to rest on itsbottom I l and to have the conduit or chute 29 in a fully retractedposition, as seen in Figure 3, for sealing the interior of the containerIt). To dispense the contents, not shown, of the container II], theconduit 29 is moved outwardly to a partially extended position and thenthe container is turned to a position so that the rear wall [3 will beat the bottom thereof to cause the contents of the container to flowinto the chamber 24, as indicated by the arrows 33 in Figure 2, to fillthe space in the center of the chamber 24 and-beneath the end 30 of theconduit 29. From this position, as seen in Figure 2, the container ID isinverted so that the contents of the container which is beneath the end39 will be dispensed through the conduit or chute 29. It will thereforebe obvious that quantities of like amounts can be dispensed each timethat the container I0 is thus inverted and by varying the extendedposition of the conduit 29 the amount dispensed each time that thecontainer is inverted can be varied.

Various modifications and changes in the construction and arrangement ofthe parts forming the invention are contemplated and may obviously beresorted to, provided they fall within the spirit and scope of theinvention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims, as only apreferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a dispensing attachment for containers having an opening in onewall thereof, a chute slidably engaging the sides of said opening andextending into the container the ends of said chute being open, theinner end of the chute being movable into engagement with the wall ofthe container opposite to the wall provided with the opening for closingthe outlet passage of the container, formed by the chute, and said chutebeing movable outwardly of said opening for opening the passage formedthereby to permit the contents of the container to be dispensedtherethrough, a partition within the container combining with angularlyrelated wall of the container to form a chamber into which the inner endof the chute extends, said partition having first and second angularlyrelated walls separated at portions from each other, said firstangularly related walls of the partition being secured to the respectiveangularly related walls of the container and said second angularlyrelated walls of the partition being below the said first angularlyrelated wall of the partition and wider than the latter so as to extendlaterally beyond the latter and being secured to the angularly relatedwalls of the container to form inlets at the plane of junction of theangularly related walls of the partition.

2. In a dispensing attachment for containers having an opening in onewall thereof, a chute slidably engaging the sides of said opening andextending into the container, the ends of said chute being open, theinner end of the chute being movable into engagement with the wall ofthe container opposite to the wall provided with the opening for closingthe outlet passage of the container, formed by the chute, and said chutebeing movable outwardly of said opening for opening the passage formedthereby to permit the contents of the container to be dispensedtherethrough, a partition within the container combining with angularlyrelated walls of the container to form a chamber into which the innerend of the chute extends, said partition being in one piece and beingslit inwardly from opposite sides with the slits terminating short ofeach other to provide first and second angularly related walls, saidfirst angularly related walls of the partition being secured to the respective angularly related walls of the container and said secondangularly related walls of the partition being below the said firstangularly related wall of the partition and wider than the latter so asto extend laterally beyond the latter and being secured to the angularlyrelated walls of the container to form inlets at the plane of junctionof the angularly related walls of the partition.

ERNEST F. SHELTON-

